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Kevin Werbach

Kevin Werbach, JD

Liem Sioe Liong/First Pacific Company Professor; Professor and Department Chairperson of Legal Studies & Business Ethics, The Wharton School

Research Interests:Business, legal, and social implications of the internet and communications technologies

About Kevin

Kevin Werbach is the Liem Sioe Liong/First Pacific Company Professor and chair of the Department of Legal Studies & Business Ethics at Wharton. He is a world-renowned expert on the business, legal, and public policy implications of emerging technologies such as digital platforms, artificial intelligence, and blockchain. Werbach is the director of the Wharton Blockchain and Digital Asset Project. He co-led the review of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission for the Obama Administration’s Presidential Transition Team and was employed as an expert advisor at both the FCC and the U.S. Department of Commerce. He founded the Supernova Group, a technology consulting firm, and for nine years hosted the Supernova executive technology conference.

Kevin Werbach’s books, which have been translated into six languages, include The Blockchain and the New Architecture of Trust (MIT Press, 2018); After the Digital Tornado: Networks, Algorithms, Humanity (Cambridge University Press, 2020); and For the Win: The Power of Gamification and Game Thinking in Business, Education, Government, and Social Impact, with Dan Hunter (Wharton School Press, revised edition 2020). Over 500,000 students worldwide have enrolled in his Coursera massive open online course, and he was named Wharton’s first-ever “Iron Prof” in 2010. Kevin Werbach is regularly cited in print and broadcast media, including features in ABC News, CNBC, CNN, Financial Times, NPR, PBS NewsHour, The Economist, and the Los Angeles Times. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Philadelphia Inquirer, LA Review of Books, Fortune, Slate, and Wired, in addition to prestigious academic journals. He has received the Aspen Institute’s Ideas Worth Teaching Award, the NESTA Decentralised Future Prize, and the UBRI Educator Award for Outstanding Blockchain Teacher. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he served on the Law Review, and summa cum laude from the University of California at Berkeley.

Read full faculty bio on Wharton website


Executive Education Programs Taught

Chief Technology Officer Program

This immersive, nine-month experience teaches Chief Technology Officers and other senior-level IT leaders how to become more strategic partners with other operating units within their organization and determine efficient ways to scale their company’s technology infrastructure. The rigorous curriculum includes interactive online sessions and on-campus electives and offers a path to alumni status for qualified individuals.

Strategies for Accountable AI

Academic Director

Learn to navigate the legal, ethical, and business challenges of AI, mitigating risks and maximizing benefits. This comprehensive program offers practical frameworks for managing AI’s complexities, including accuracy, risk, transparency, and privacy. Engage with leading faculty in interactive online sessions and self-paced learning, gaining insights to enhance AI safety, trustworthiness, and compliance. Assess and improve your organization’s AI readiness, benefiting from expert guidance and peer networking.